'Second Briton Dead' In Saudi Seige

Officials were investigating reports that a second Briton had died in a bloody 24-hour siege in Saudi Arabia.

Earlier it was confirmed that a British oil executive had been shot dead at the start of the siege.

Gunmen held up to 50 people hostage in a residential compound after attacking the offices of two oil companies in the eastern city of Al Khobar. It ended with security forces storming the militants' stronghold.

The gunmen were initially believed to have killed 22 people - eight Indians, three Filipinos, three Saudis, two Sri Lankans, an American, a Briton, an Italian, a Swede, a South African and an Egyptian - at the start of the al Qaida-linked terrorist atrocity. The gunmen fled and sought refuge in the residential compound of Oasis where they holed up with their hostages.

Just after 7am on Sunday, Saudi security forces went on the offensive, leaping from an army helicopter and surprising the terrorists from above.

Two of the militants were thought to have been killed in the shoot-out, while another seven were arrested, security sources said.

Briton Michael Hamilton was in his car on his way to work at Arab Petroleum Investments Corp (Apicorp) when the shooting began on Saturday.

According to reports, his body was dragged for more than a mile behind a car after he was killed in front of his work colleagues. Mr Hamilton, a father-of-two, was senior manager of the Project and Trade Finance Department at Apicorp and had worked for them in Saudi since 1989.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw had earlier condemned the shootings and said the UK would stand alongside Saudi Arabia in its fight against terrorism.

Four terrorists, seven terrorists, it doesn't matter. What matters is that, apparently, the commanders on the ground -- or terrorist sympathizers in the unit -- allowed three to escape. Might have been a "deal" to prevent further murder of hostages, but there is no excuse for it, imho.

These three will live to regale other radicals with their tales of bravado, and will strike again -- at will -- at the weak regime now holding court in Riyahd. Sooner or later, the Family Saud is going to have to get serious about this problem or it will be their heads that roll.

What is important here is that AQ, or some affiliate, has now exposed a new strategy of attacking the lifeline of oil out of and money into the kingdom. Now that they have this easy victory to savor, they will redouble their efforts, will most likely be even more successful in future raids, and our vital supply of petroleum will take a major hit.

The tanking of the U.S. economy will play into the hands of the Islamofascists and the Democrats willing to do or say absolutely anything in order to regain power in Washington.

Are the Murkin Sheeple stupid enough to allow the Dems to leverage an oil crisis into a stroll into 1600 Pennsylvania next January? You're damned right, they are.

The early reports were all over the map, including how many terrorists, I think I saw one that said there were 9, to how many casualties.

The number there is 25, I think, but that does not include Saudi's , one report said 10. I spent a lot of time trying to sort that out but didn't really satisfy myself that I understood .

I think now the Saudi's and the media are sanatizing the reports to some degree. Most reports say little about the details of the brutality, 9 throats were slit.

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